


Unbelievable Words

by ravenangel_x



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Romance, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-15
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-04-20 19:18:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4799273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenangel_x/pseuds/ravenangel_x
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone had the words of their soulmate tattooed on their body and strived to hear them someday. But Ludwig found it hard to believe in the existence of a soulmate for him. He could not think of even one situation where he would impress someone enough to get the response his tattoo predicted: I love you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unbelievable Words

Ludwig has never been good with words. He talked when it was necessary and used words mostly for practical purposes, to voice his opinion, to tell others what they should or shouldn’t do or to answer questions directed at him. So, living in a world where spoken words played such a big role in people’s lives and basically meant everything was a strange concept for him.

He had always believed that actions spoke louder, much louder than words could. He was a man of few words but when he said something he meant it, always thinking carefully before he opened his mouth. He felt more at home when it came to texts, reading and writing have always been his hobbies since he was a child. Well, after he learned to read and write of course, but nonetheless, it was something he had performed often because he felt comfortable with it and that only intensified over the years.

Though, nothing of it changed the fact that the world revolved around these tattooed words everyone had somewhere on their bodies, that were an exact rendition of the first words they would hear from their respective soulmates. Everybody was excited to hear their words someday, be it a simple “Excuse me.” or something more unique like “Did you see the dancing monkey over there?” (One of Ludwig’s former classmates had these words and eventually met his soulmate in a zoo.)

And the words tattooed on his arm were kind of peculiar, too. He had not words normally spoken when you first meet someone. No, not at all. He had words you only say after you already know the other person for quite some time, words that require some bond already existing. And given his poor record of building relationships so far, he could not think of even one situation where he would impress someone enough to get the response his tattoo predicted: _‘I love you’_.

Normally, his big and bulky appearance scared others and made them reluctant to talk to him. It was this same exact reason why he only had a few friends during his life so far. And it also made it hard to believe in his tattooed words. It just made no sense to him, so Ludwig guessed it could only mean there was a mistake.

There was some hearsay that the system with soulmates doesn’t always work out, stories whispered among each other about those unlucky souls that don’t end up with their soulmate. After he heard a story about a girl without any words, Ludwig started to think that, when one mistake like that could happen, it was only logical that other similar occurrences were possible, too. And when he grew up, he kept his ears open for such stories, hearing more and more rumors about others where it never worked out. In the end, he came to the conclusion that maybe, even though he had words, he will never meet someone saying them to him.

With this thought in the back of his mind, Ludwig spent his teenage years in relative solitude. The only constant person in his life was his big brother Gilbert. After their parents died, Gilbert was his only family and took care of him, as he was already of age at the time of the accident and practically raised Ludwig by himself afterwards. Something Ludwig was deeply grateful for.

Gilbert was also the only one he ever told about his conclusion of not having a soulmate, as he never liked to talk about this topic much with anyone else, but his brother never took him seriously. And he never managed to completely withdraw himself from chatter about it in school. His belief of being without a soulmate made comments about his words harder to deal with. Sometimes he was so sick of it all, of other people telling him how sweet his soulmate had to be and how nice it must be to have such loveable words tattooed as others were not as fortunate.

Just like the words his brother had: _‘Stop it, you fool!”_ written right across his right collar bone. Therefore, it came as no surprise for him that Gilbert was the one who teased him the most about it. He kept insisting that Ludwig was wrong about his assumption anyway and loved to think of all kind of crazy scenarios how Ludwig could meet his soulmate, most were of Ludwig saving them in a life-endangering situation.

But somehow he managed to deal with his brother’s comments, after a while he got used to them and he managed to completely stop thinking about his tattooed words and the existence, or rather non-existence, of a soulmate and basically everything else related to it. He deemed it best to just ignore it. Whenever someone was curios and asked him about his words he shrugged and tried to ignore them too. When it came to the more persistent ones he simply told them, hoping they wouldn’t make a fuss about it and leave him alone once their curiosity was sated.

With this strategy it all went well for quite a long time, until he went to college and the first week of it made him rethink a lot of his previous thoughts. During his creative writing lecture he had on Wednesday, he saw an auburn-haired boy who came too late and therefor attracted the attention of everyone in the room, including him. And when Ludwig first laid eyes on him, his heart skipped a beat and he was kind of mesmerized by the cheerful grin the boy gave while talked to the professor, probably giving some poor excuse to why he was too late for the first lecture.

He never felt like this before when seeing someone the first time which confused him quite a bit. Was it excitement? If so, excitement for what? There was nothing special about the boy on first glance, well, aside from a weird hair curl the other had. Maybe it was just because of the overly cheerful attitude. The boy had the kind of smile that was so infectious it also made others smile involuntary. It was something he never encountered before in this intensity, so maybe it was also the reason for the warm feeling in his chest. He wondered if the other students around him felt the same. Ludwig thought about this weird circumstance for the rest of the lecture. While normally he wasn’t the type to slack off during class, he couldn’t help but think this new feeling through until he had it all figured out.

After a lot of restless nights where his mind went back to the strange encounter and a few books that dealt with the topic of feelings, the answer eventually came to him a few weeks later. He only ever saw that boy on Wednesdays, during creative writing. Ludwig soon came to anticipate every Wednesday as it was the day of the week he could see the other again with his bubbly attitude and beautiful smile. And it was just another one of these days when it suddenly hit him. When the boy was talking to someone, laughing and smiling again and just radiating happiness, the realization came to his mind. It was attraction. For whatever reason he was attracted to that boy.

Though, it just confused him even more. Was it possible to be attracted to someone who wasn’t your soulmate? Because the other couldn’t be his as Ludwig already knew him for nearly two months now. But even so, now that he had the epiphany he was pretty sure to know what he was feeling. So, if his words were a mistake then it should be possible for him to feel this way for someone else, shouldn’t it? Maybe without a soulmate he was free to like whoever he wanted. Only question left was if the other was in a similar situation concerning his own words. Maybe, just maybe, Ludwig was able to find love in his life.

But his hopeful mood was soon destroyed by his logical mind. What was the probability of that actually happening? He personally never knew someone else with impossible or no words, not that he knew a lot of people, but still. The chance was so very low that it would be most likely near nil. No, it was probably better to keep this attraction to himself and continue to watch the other from afar. He didn’t want to cause trouble for the other boy.

\- - - - - -

His decision began to weaken only a few weeks later. On another Wednesday, when he was already seated in the lecture hall, Ludwig watched the entrance, waiting for the other to arrive like he always did now. By now, the German finally had learned the name of the other. One guy, who was usually with him and looked nearly identical, his brother probably, maybe even twin, was angrily shouting his name loud enough for the whole room to hear. Feliciano. A melodic name, Italian as far as Ludwig could tell. Well, he finally had a name to the ever cheerful face, a face that just came through the doorway, making Ludwig feel the by now familiar warmth in his chest. There was only one difference this time: Feliciano let his eyes wander around the room and stopped at him, giving him one of his smiles the German loved so much. Until the Italian’s brother nudged him into the row to their seats.

Every week from then on, Feliciano would scan the rows when he entered the room until their eyes met, smiling at him before he took his seat, always taken him by surprise even when he should be used to it by now. But he wasn’t, this whole thing about feelings was too new to him. Never before had he met someone who seemed happy just to see him. And unlike the first time, when he was too surprised, Ludwig actually answered with a smile, however small, on his own.

With every week, the other’s smile only continued to grow once he saw Ludwig smiling back, fueling the warm feeling in his chest to rise higher and higher. Until one day, he was not only greeted with a smile but also with a short wave of his hand. Sometimes Feliciano even looked like he wanted to come over to him, only to be stopped by his brother with a yell or an elbow to the side. But Ludwig figured it was better this way. He feared the other would come to realize how boring Ludwig was once they would talk to each other, just like it always happened in his past, and therefore stopping their weekly routine. The radiant smiles and energetic waves in greeting were enough for him, as they never failed to make his day just a bit brighter. But…who was he kidding? It didn’t make his day just a bit brighter, no, he greatly anticipated every Wednesday because seeing Feliciano bestowed him with a joy he never knew before.

This whole greeting thing they had going continued Wednesday by Wednesday until the end of the first semester. Ludwig was at a point where he could say for the first time in his life that he was really happy. And all just because of some smiles he got from a little Italian boy. When his studies became pretty stressful, the mere thought of seeing the other again the next Wednesday gave him enough energy to pull through. Just like when he had trouble with the last term paper that he would hand in today. Although the deadline was only next week, he had tried to get it done as soon as possible. What was done was done after all, giving him more consecutive free time for his hobbies.

So after his last lecture for the day, Ludwig went to the third floor where most of the professors’ offices where located and handed his paper in. Though, before he left, his literature professor asked him for a small favor. He saw no reason to refuse, as it was a simple delivery task: he just had to bring some documents to a Professor Vargas in the art faculty. It shouldn’t take long and he had no other plans until the evening anyway when his brother wanted to go to a bar to celebrate the coming end of Ludwig’s first semester. Though, he probably just used it as an excuse to go out and watch today’s football game on the big screen of their favorite pub.

When he found the right office he knocked on the door but heard no answer. After knocking for a second time and still receiving no response he checked the handle, only to find the door locked. Weird, the professor should be in, the sign next to his door clearly stated that today was his consultation-hour. Fearing that something may have happened, Ludwig approached one of the nearby students to ask about the missing professor.

“Excuse me. Do you know where Professor Vargas is?”

“Ah, if he’s not in his office, he’s most likely at his art room. He often has these sudden inspirations for a new painting and then he just leaves.”

It was just his luck that today seemed like one of these days. Nevertheless, Ludwig thanked the guy and quickly made his way to the art rooms, he didn’t want to spend any more time than necessary to deliver some papers. A professor should be more considerate and stick to his duty. Leaving to paint when he actually had to be present in his office – Ludwig could only shake his head at such an irresponsible behavior.

He finally made it to the right room after having to ask another student which one was considered to be Prof. Vargas’ art room. Stepping inside without delay – he just wanted to be done with his task and leave – Ludwig realized that the room was empty, no Professor Vargas in sight. He pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, a long sigh escaping in the process. Of course, it was today of all days that the professor completely vanished without a clue to where. While contemplating what he should do next, he noticed a door in the back of the room. Maybe a storage room for all the art supplies or the paintings? Ludwig figured that there might be the remote chance that the professor was in there, although he doubted it. Surely he would have heard some noises by now if he were. But he couldn’t just leave without actually checking it out, so he made his way over, leaving the papers on the nearest desk for the moment.

Once he stepped into the room he saw that his assumptions had been right. Yes, it was a storage room. Yes, there were a lot of paintings in here. But there was something he could have never expected, namely the motives of the paintings that shook him to the core. Slowly going further into the room, Ludwig took in every singly painting with his mouth slightly open, gaping. There was no way he was seeing right. Just why were there painting of him in this room? All of them showed him in various sceneries and postures. It wasn’t possible. Who painted these?

Ludwig didn’t know how long he stood there, admiring the paintings. Even if he was a bit creeped out by it, he couldn’t help but notice the artistic sense of the painter, giving each painting a different feel. He didn’t know much about painting itself but he often went to museums and could at least tell that some of these could easily keep up with the exhibits.

He was pulled back to reality when he heard some movement behind him. Turning around, he saw Feliciano standing in the doorway, staring at him with the same disbelieving face that he probably had too. He never saw the cheerful Italian outside of their shared lecture, so it came to a complete surprise to see the other now.

Their eyes were locked on each other, neither saying a word. Ludwig couldn’t tell why, but his heart started beating wildly in his chest, more than ever. The whole moment seemed so surreal, with both of them standing so close, surrounded by paintings of him, the atmosphere between them heavy. Still staring at each other, the blonde noticed some change in the eyes of the other, though he couldn’t tell what it was.

His heart was finally about to calm down when Feliciano started to speak.

“I love you.” the other said, seemingly in a daze as he stared at him. Until he suddenly snapped out of it, a blush rising to his cheeks. “Ve~, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! That must be real weird for you. I mean, you don’t even know me and I guess I don’t really know you either.” He waved his hands in front of him as if dismissing the whole affair, shaking his head in the process.

Ludwig opened his mouth to answer, but this was one of the rare moments in his life where he couldn’t think of anything to say. Instead, the other continued.

“But after I first saw you, I just couldn’t get you out of my head, so I had to paint you and I guess it kind of went out of hand and I overdid it, but Lovino says I always do that so it’s not really a surprise.”

The thoughts were running wildly in his head. Feliciano had actually said ‘I love you.’ to him, the very same words he had on his arm. But it couldn’t be… Was it really possible that this guy was his soulmate? Right now, it seemed more than likely. He doubted that a situation like this – where someone’s first words to him were a confession of love – will ever happen again in his life. He just had to say the same words that were tattooed on the smaller boy’s body.

But...what exactly was he supposed to say now? And what if the said the wrong words? Was there a way to mess this up? This moment could change his life, there was no room for error.

Okay, first things first, he had to get a word in as the other was still going on about who knows what. Ludwig nearly forgot the other was still in the room, too caught up with his own musings. He cleared his throat to get the attention of the auburn-haired boy, praying that a cough wasn’t somehow considered to be his first word already. Feliciano stopped his rambling and looked expectantly at him.

“What are your words?”

“Huh?”

“Uhm, the words of your soulmate I mean.” He had to know, so he could properly say them.

The Italian slowly blinked a few times, until he suddenly stripped off his shirt, grinning from ear to ear. Then he pointed to the words above his right hipbone. “There!”

The tattoo read _‘What are your words?’_ Ludwig looked back up and met amber eyes sparkling with emotion. “So, it's really you?! I was hoping you would be, but then Lovino convinced me that it couldn’t be because I already knew you since the start of the semester.”

It was the same that happened to him, only that he didn’t need someone else to convince him, he’d done that all by himself. Had they actually managed to avoid each other based on false assumptions? Ludwig thought back: how he had noticed the other during the first lecture. How he had always been intrigued about the Italian’s smile, his warm laugh and his sunny attitude that seemed to radiate and make everything around him a bit brighter, but…

“We have never talked to each other.”

“Ve~.”

Damn, he was so stupid, jumping to conclusions like that. He had dismissed the possibility of the Italian being his soulmate just because he had already noticed the other for some time, while in truth they never said a single word to each other. Somehow he got wound up in thinking the words would be said when they first saw each other. But now that he reflected on it, he didn’t even know how he ended up thinking like that. But before he could wail in self-pity, the other interrupted his thoughts again.

“Where is your tattoo? Let me see it! Show me! Show me!” he bounced happily on his two feet.

Ludwig rolled up the sleeve on his left arm, revealing the words on his upper arm to the other. The smaller one immediately brought his hands up and traced them with his fingers, obviously mesmerized by it.

"Hehe, I never would have thought that my first words to my soulmate would be ‘I love you.’”

He felt heat rushing to his cheeks as the situation finally caught up with him. He really found his soulmate! Right here, clinging to his arm, shirtless no less, and looking at him with open adoration. The look was so pure and honest that Ludwig couldn’t help but think how beautiful the other was. He still couldn’t believe it, that it was actually happening. How long had he lived with the conviction that there was something wrong with his words? Well, long enough that he never thought about the sentence he would say to his soulmate.

And god, it was a stupid sentence. He tried to be practical, wanted to know the words first before saying them. So he asked, not realizing that the question would be his first sentence. He just wanted to do everything right, to give the proper response after thinking for years that he won’t have a soulmate. Well, in the end he actually did give the right response but… geez, it was embarrassing. But at least the Italian didn’t seem to mind, so he was glad about that.

“Feliciano?” A sudden shout was coming from the other room that threw him off for a second. Who-?

“I’m in here nonno. Guess what just happened. You won’t believe it, it’s soooo amazing!” Feliciano yelled right back, making Ludwig cringe because of the volume.

“Come on, I have to introduce you to my grandpa.” Feliciano took him by the hand and started to drag him out of the storage room, only pausing in the doorway to turn back and quickly grasp his discarded shirt, putting it back on. “I nearly forgot it.” He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Oh, I don’t even know your name. What’s your name? I’m Feliciano Vargas.”

“I’m Ludwig.”

“Ve~, it’s nice to finally meet you, Ludwig.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original End.
> 
> This story was planned as an oneshot and, at first, ended at this point. But because I couldn’t stop myself from continue writing, it eventually ended up with another chapter. So it can be viewed as a complete story at this point, but if you're interested feel free to read on :)


	2. Overwhelming Emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took longer than I would have liked but here it is now. This chapter starts off right where the first one ended. Please enjoy!

As they walked out of the storage room, Ludwig immediately noticed the two people standing in the middle of the room. One was the supposedly brother he had often seen with Feliciano, and the other some older man who was probably the grandfather Feliciano just mentioned.

“Ve, Lovino’s here too,” Feliciano commented, his voice with a hint of surprise and slightly disheartened.

“What? You’ve got a problem with that?!” the other shouted angrily back. “And what’s that macho bastard doing here?”

Feliciano brightened up instantly, squeezing Ludwig’s hand and giving him one of his biggest smiles.

“That’s Ludwig. He’s my soulmate!” Feliciano proclaimed proudly, making a blush rise on Ludwig’s cheek. Everything felt so new and raw, nothing like he had ever experienced before. That someone would ever introduce him so happily, so full of joy and excitement. He knew that most of his peers dreamt of the possibilities of their first meeting with their soulmate, tried to picture every possible scenario their words could lead to. But Ludwig... he felt so unprepared. Well, he _was_ unprepared.

To be honest, everything was just too much for him at the moment. He’d just found his soulmate, after stupidly thinking that he didn’t even have one for most of his life no less, and now he was already being introduced to the family? He needed a break from all that emotional stuff to think everything through, preferably in peace and quiet.

“Oh my! My youngest grandson is finally reaching adulthood. We should celebrate this joyous occasion tonight," the oldest said, while he showed a toothy smile, nearly identical to Feliciano's, making him look years younger and leaving no doubt that they were related.

“I know, I know, it's just sooo great! I still can't believe it. We should make lots and lots of pasta. There's no better dish to celebrate than pasta."

While Ludwig let those two discuss the recent events, he felt some dreadful aura coming from the side. Lovino, who had stayed silent for the time being, scrutinized him from head to toe. In the end, his eyes landed on his left upper arm where his sleeve was still rolled up, the tattooed words plain to see for everyone present. He turned back to his brother, anger back on his face.

“ _’I love you.’_?! The first words you said were _’I love you.’_? How can you say something like that when you first meet someone? Are you stupid? No, don’t answer that, I already know the answer.”

Their grandfather put one hand on Lovino’ shoulders. “Nah nah, Lovino. You should be happy that your little brother found his soulmate.”

Lovino only scoffed at that. Feliciano turned to Ludwig, one hand in front of his mouth as if to whisper in secret, although his voice was still loud enough for all to hear. “Don’t worry Ludwig. Lovi is just jealous because his words aren’t so nice. His words are–“

“Don’t you dare tell some stranger about my words, fratello!”

“– _‘I’m your boss, so listen to me.’_ ” he finished, ignoring his brother’s protests.

“Damn you!” The older brother tried to take a leap forward and made some squeezing hand movements as if to strangle Feliciano, only to be held back by his grandfather’s grip on his shoulder. The same grandfather who just laughed at the whole situation, as if one grandson trying to kill, or at least attacking, the other was a normal occurrence. Ludwig wondered if maybe it was for them…

Not even slightly bothered by his brother's outburst, Feliciano just wrapped his arms around Ludwig’s left one, snuggling up to him, not minding the presence of his family members. How was he already so comfortable doing this kind of stuff?

And anyways, wasn’t there a specific reason he came to the art room? Looking around the room, he noticed the nearly forgotten documents for Professor Vargas on the table he left them. Now that he thought about it, didn’t Feliciano say his last name was Vargas? Then that would make his grandfather the man he was searching for.

He looked at the oldest in the room. “There are some papers for you I was asked to deliver on the desk over there, Professor Vargas,” he interrupted the family squabble. Business before pleasure. One of the main teachings of his late parents.

“Ah yes, thank you, I was waiting for those. But no need to be so formal, lad, we’re family now. Just call me Grandpa Romulus.” The Professor gave him a big grin and pointed his thumb at himself. 

“So, why don’t you come with us right now? There’s this beautiful restaurant I know where we could grab some really tasty food and then you could tell us all about yourself. I’m curious with whom my dear grandson ended up with.”

Ludwig clenched his jaw together, thinking about it. He really didn’t like how fast everything was progressing. And it didn’t help that Feliciano, his soulmate – he still couldn’t even believe that part – was looking at him with big sparkling eyes, practically begging him to come along. Couldn’t they give him some time to process this situation properly?

“I’m sorry. There are some things I have to attend to today.” He didn’t like to lie like that, preferring honesty over pity excuses. But it was just too much for him.

“Really? Ve~” he made a rather pathetic sounding noise, that pulled on Ludwig's heart strings.

“Oh Feli, don’t cry, dearest grandson.” Romulus reached out to ruffle Feliciano’s hair, before turning his attention back to Ludwig. “Then what about tomorrow? It’s a Saturday, and exams are over. You’ll have time, right?”

“Yes, that’s acceptable.” He clearly hoped that only one day was enough to get mentally prepared. Though, he had the slightest suspicion that it wouldn’t.

They started to walk outside of he room and building, to the parking lot, Feliciano hanging onto his arm the whole time, and exhanged a few basis information about each other on he way. How old they were, where they grew up, or what they studied. Well, Feliciano did most of the talking, together with Romulus who seemed ecstatic to welcome him into their family, but Ludwig did manage to get over his initial stupor and get a few sentences out himself.

Once they arrived at the parking lot, the time to say good bye - and for him to take a good breather from the happenings of the past half an hour - came. The prospect of getting the chance to digest the whole ordeal was more than just inviting for Ludwig, but at the same time, he felt a tugging at his heart, not wanting to part so soon.

“Are you sure you can't make any time today?" Feliciano asked once more, maybe feeling the same way as he.

And it nearly worked, the repeated question making him almost give in, his resolve grumbling with every second of looking into those pleading amber eyes. But no, he couldn't give in. Feliciano may was his soulmate, but it didn't automatically mean that Ludwig had to do anything he asked of him. Or did it?

Oh god, he felt the dread rise again from the pit of his stomach. He had no idea about all this soulmate stuff, hadn't even the slighest clue about what was supposed to happen next, once you found your destined soulmate. Well, aside from the scheduled lunch tommorow that was thrown at him. But...how was he expected to act around Feliciano?

He massaged his temples, already feeling a headache forming slowly behind his eyes. This was really not something he excelled in. He shook his head. "I'm sorry."

He felt so torn. Like a tug of war happened inside of him, between his heart, wanting to spent more time with Feliciano, and his mind, wanting to get away, to get some time to sort all these new impressions out.

And now they just stood there, not saying anything anymore, and stared into each other's eyes. Until Feliciano leaned in, getting even closer than before, and eyed him curiously, their faced only inches apart. Was he going to...? Ludwig's heart sped up, so much that he was afraid it could jump out of his chest. Somewhere at the back of his mind, a tiny voice told him that this was normal for soulmates and was one of the things he should have expected. But now, the voice was too late, the situation already at hand, and he wasn't able to do anything but stay frozen on the spot.

Suddenly, they were interupted by loud gagging noises coming from the side, curtsy of Lovino. They drove away from each other, or more like, Ludwig jerked away in surprise and embarrassement. He'd completely forgotten that Lovino and Romulus were here.

"If you believe I'll just watch you two suck face for even a split second, you're dead wrong, you piece of shit."

"Be nice to your brother, Lovino. You only meet your soulmate once. They should get to do all the couply stuff they want," Romulus chastised.

"Why are you always berating me and never him, dammit? You're favoring him all the fucking time. And I don't care he met his soulmate, it's disgusting."

"You'll understand once you meet your own soulmate. You won't be acting any different, let me tell you."

They argued on, all the while he and Feliciano stood at their side, both flushing a subtle red on their cheeks. Well, Feliciano’s cheeks had a light red tinge, but Ludwig liked to think that the scorcing heat he felt in his face wasn't any worse than a subtle blush either. Although, the sheepish smile thrown his way from his soulmate didn't exactly help.

He didn't know how to defuse the situation, but fortunately, Romulus ended the argument with Lovio and turned to his other grandson.

"But you shouldn't keep Ludwig so long when he has something important to do. You will see each other tomorrow again. Then you can take all the time in the world and kiss how often and how long you want."

Yeah, surely it won't be worse than a subtle blush.

"Okay, nonno." Feliciano nodded his head in assent. "Ciao, Ludwig," he said his goodbye. But still, he didn't move an inch, reluctant to actually leave, until eventually, Lovino took ahold of his arm and dragged him forcefully away. But even this harsh treatment didn't stop Feliciano from waving enthusiastically at him until they went around the corner where all the professors had their assigned parking spots, out of his sight.

After they went their separate ways on the parking lot, Ludwig took the time to take one big breath to calm down. He wasn’t sure if he could really grasp what just happened right now. He only wanted to deliver some papers and get home quickly to enjoy the weekend. Seeing as he turned in his last term paper, his brother wanted to celebrate it and go to a bar with him, which was most likely just another excuse to get wasted. But, tonight would be a major football game of their favorite club airing and there was nothing better than to watch it in a bar and to get drunk while cheering for your favorite team. But Ludwig guessed he couldn’t do that tonight. He didn’t think getting drunk the night before going to lunch with your soulmate’s family was considered appropriate. A hangover wouldn’t leave a good impression after all.

Reaching his car, he quickly got in and drove off. Speaking of his brother, he would have to tell him about today. Well, Ludwig hoped he could keep it simple. _'I met my soulmate and I’m having lunch tomorrow with his family.'_ Yeah, nice and simple, it would do.

\- - - - - -

Or not.

“You what?!” His older brother was jumping up from the couch, nearly knocking over the beer bottle standing on the table in front of him.

“I said, I can’t go drinking with you tonight because I met my soulmate and I’m having lunch with his family tomorrow.”

“I heard you the first time, but… damn.” Suddenly, he started to crack up, holding his stomach to keep himself from doubling over. Once he recovered himself, he wiped away some laughing tears from his eyes and came over to Ludwig, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

“You’re serious, right? Man, I always told you not to worry. The awesome big brother always knows best, so you should have just listened to me.” He shook Ludwig in his excitement. “But what’s this about not going out. Meeting your soulmate is just one more reason to drink! Let’s celebrate!”

But somehow, Ludwig couldn't muster the same enthusiasm his brother had. He still felt a bit drained from today's events. Gilbert frowned. “Hey, what’s wrong? You should be ecstatic.”

“It’s just…” Ludwig took a deep breath, while he grabbed his brother’s arm and took it off of his shoulders. “…a lot to take in?”

Gilbert regarded him with a sceptic look for a moment until he went into the kitchen. Ludwig sighed and went to the couch, sitting down with a thud. He leaned back and closed his eyes, finally able to relax now that he was in his own home. He felt so emotionally drained right now, as he was not used to having a lot of feelings. And he could only picture tomorrow being even worse. They didn’t talk that long today, with him making an excuse to get away, but it was still exhausting. How could he last through a complete lunch? He just wished he could have some time alone with Feliciano. They hadn’t any time to really talk to each other before his brother and grandfather had arrived. So, instead of dealing with them one at a time, he got the whole package at once. Wait, what about the other’s parents? Were they coming too? And in his hectic to get away, he completely forgot to exchange numbers with Feliciano.

Ludwig massaged his temples, already feeling a headache coming on. How had it come to this? He had been happy enough with his feelings and the chance to experience love even without having a soulmate, just watching that cheerful boy who made him feel like that from a distance. And now, that exact boy turned out to really be his soulmate. His world was turned upside-down, his inner life in disarray after being through almost existing emotions in only one day.

A sudden metallic thump made him open his eyes again. Standing on top of the table was a six-pack of his favorite beer, every bottle already opened, while Gilbert just grinned down at him.

“You looked like you needed a beer. Or two. And we don’t even need to go out to get some. So grab a bottle and tell me all about your soulmate." He flopped down on the couch next to Ludwig. "You said _his_ family, so it’s a guy? Huh, that’s weird. Based on your hidden magazines I always thought it must be some big-busted chick.” He made some obscene gestures in front of his chest to emphasize his point before grabbing a beer from the six-pack for himself and stretched his legs to let them rest on top of the couch table.

Ludwig also took one, ignoring any of his brother’s unnecessary remarks, and leaned right back on the couch. “Thanks, brother.”

They clinked their bottles together before both took their first gulp. Feeling the cool chill of the beer flowing down his throat, Ludwig immediately felt a relaxing wave wash over him. A good chilled beer always helped him after a stressful day, relieving him of his worries. Well, not all of them, but it was a start.

After taking a few more sips, he eventually calmed down enough to talk about the events of his day. Ludwig told his brother the whole story about when he saw Feliciano for the first time, until this very afternoon when he found all the paintings of him in the storage room, to the awkward moment at the parking lot. During his retelling, the football game started, providing some distraction, their concentration always divided between the game and his story. 

“So, then what were your first words you said to this Feli-guy?” Gilbert wanted to know.

For a moment, Ludwig thought about not telling him, knowing that it would only lead to some mockery but with the alcohol making his tongue loose, he ended up sharing the details.

“ _’What are your words?’_ ”

“Huh? You know my tattooed words. I'm asking about what you said.”

“Yeah, I know. These were my first words to him. I asked _’What are your words?’_ ”

His older brother blinked slowly, before he, once again, started to crackle, not able to contain any laughter that soon changed into a loud cheer when their team scored a goal.

“You asked him for the words?! Oh man, this is rich. Kesesese.”

Blushing for what felt like the tenth time this day, he took a big gulp of his beer. “I didn’t know what to say. I never really thought about what my first words to my soulmate could be, so…,” he trailed off.

“So you just asked for them. That poor guy. You have such sweet words, you actually have a love confession tattooed on your body, and what does he get in return? _’What are your words?’_ Damn, I have to tell this story to Francis and Antonio.”

“Urgh, please don’t. They’re annoying and I don’t want them bothering me about it.”

"Ha, you just can't handle our combined awesomeness," Gilbert muttered into his beer.

"If you say so."

The conversaton died down at this point, both turning their attention to the television where the game reached the final phase. They watched the game until it ended, their team having won. They continued to drink beer, until Gilbert broke the comfortable silence.

“Well... then, tomorrow we eat lunch with your soulmate, his brother and his grandfather?”

“We?” He couldn’t remember inviting Gilbert to come along. Ludwig may already had two beers, but he still had all his wits.

“Of course. I want to meet your soulmate, too. And even more important, you can’t keep them from the experience of meeting the awesome me. They _deserve_ the chance to meet me!” he stood up and delared confidently, putting one food on top of he table.

Three chaotic Italians and his overbearing brother together. Well, what could go wrong with this setup? On the other hand, the lunch will already be draining his energy, what big difference could Gilbert make if he were to come along? And maybe... it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to have someone on his side. It would surely help his nerves to have someone he knew present...hopefully.

“Go ahead and do what you want.”

“If you want to even it out I could also invite Francis and Antonio.”

“First: that wouldn’t even it out and second: no, thanks. The lunch will be chaotic enough as it is, I don’t need your nerve-racking friends coming along, too.”

“Ah, don’t be such a pussy. They’re awesome, not as much as I am, I know, but I’m sure they would love to meet the soulmate of my baby brother. I’ll just text them if they want to come," he insisted, words a bit slurred.

Pulling out his phone, Gilbert quickly typed some words without really concentrating on the screen, before he hit the send button. Ludwig snatched the phone from his brother’s hands, ignoring the loud 'Hey!' from Gilbert, a bad feeling forming in his gut. He quickly checked the sent texts.

_meat soulmate tmw w bro. cuming too?_

“God, how drunk are you?” Ludwig stood up, throwing the phone back at his brother who just laughed at him. He took a few of the empty beer bottles and made his way into the kitchen to clean up. He made another trip to put away all the remaining bottles, making a mental note to buy a new six-pack as soon as possible to refill their stock. Once everything was delt with, he went back to the living-room where he saw his brother already dozing off with his mouth wide open. Just when Ludwig was mentally debating on leaving his brother on the couch or not, the phone lying in Gilbert’s lap peeped, a new message arriving.

Taking the phone, he opened the new message.

_you met your soulmate?! omg! of course I’m “cuming” ;) A._

He closed this message and saw yet another new one, together with two missed calls from Francis. Ludwig also opened the other message and knowing Francis, he feared the worst.

_you’ll cum with your soulmate tomorrow? and your brother will be joining too? hon, I don’t know how much you had to drink, but if you’re serious you know I’ll always join in <3_

Ludwig sighed. Of course Francis would take it in the most perverted way possible. Closing the text again, he thought for a short moment until he deleted the two messages, as well as Gilbert's sent one. With a bit of luck, his brother will have forgotten everything about inviting his friends to the lunch by tomorrow.

Coming to the conclusion that a night on the couch wouldn’t be that bad for his older brother, he left the phone on the table and went to his room. He went through his nightly routine before he sat down on his bed, taking a few minutes to collect himself.

Today was one of the most stressful days he had since the start of college and he still couldn’t decide if it was the positive kind of stress or not. He guessed it was, recalling all the new feelings, his raging heart, the moment when realization hit home that he really found his soulmate, the big smile of Feliciano when he realized that he found his soulmate, the gentle touch of Feliciano on his arm, the proud look when Feliciano introduced him to his family, Feliciano… 

He clapped his hands against his cheeks, embarrassed of his own thoughts. When he finally lay down after fighting down yet another blush, the thoughts turned to the nearing lunch and his worries came back to him. Between his talk with his brother, the football game and the beer he didn’t have any time for worries, but now…

He pushed one of his pillows down on his face, hoping to hide from his conflicting feelings behind it. Not that it was working, but still… it did provide some comfort at least. How did other people handle this stuff? Ludwig didn’t know. As someone who never had any close friends and with his brother not having found his soulmate yet, even though Gilbert was the older one, he couldn’t ask anyone about it.

With a sigh on his lips, he removed the pillow again, the air under it too sticky to breath normally anymore. Maybe he should read one of those romance novels first thing in the morning to get the gist of what would be expected of him.

Deciding that this would be the best course of action, he nodded to himself and closed his eyes. He had the slight gut feeling that he needed all the rest he could get for tomorrow.


End file.
